A Father's Love
by Inali Grimalkin
Summary: Kya has never been close to her father, but there was always someone who was unconditionally there for her instead. A secret almost everyone knows, but no one talks about. Kataang and Zutara
1. What Happened

**Trying something new, hope you like it.**

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><p>Zuko sat in the corner of the Stoked Coals; a dark and slighty shady bar where he knew no one would recognize him. He wasn't Fire Lord Zuko tonight, he wasn't even Zuko. Tonight, he was 'Lee', wearing Earth Kingdom clothes like the ones he had back when he lived as a refugee in Ba Sing Se. Some nights he needed to get away from the pressures and just be him. He was halfway through his third spiced beer and feeling comfortably buzzed when someone sat across from him.<p>

"And what would the Fire Lord be doing in a place like this?" He almost panicked until he realized who it was.

"I could ask you the same thing, Katara," he said with a laugh. He indicated his Earth Kingdom clothes and the loose hair that hide his scarred eye. "Besides, I'm 'Lee' tonight."

"Well if you're 'Lee' then I'm 'Sapphire'," she replied. Zuko raised a brow and she laughed. "It's the alias Sokka came up with before Day of Black Sun, Aang had gotten into trouble and we had to pretend to be his parents; Wang and Sapphire Fire." Zuko laughed at his friends' names while noticing that Katara was indeed wearing Fire Nation clothes. "Really though what are you doing here?" she asked signalling the bar maid for a drink.

"Sometimes I just need to get away, Mai understands so she makes excuses so I can have a night in peace. She's at home with Wei. What about Aang and Bumi?"

"Aang wanted to take Bumi to see the Western Air Temple, I chose to stay behind. Aang is still trying to coax some bending out of him."

"Bonding," Zuko agreed with a nod, he did the same with Wei, his little firebender. He glanced around the bar before nodding towards the stairs. "I have a room, why don't we go and drink there. I don't want us to be overheard telling drunken stories."

"Agreed," Katara said with a laugh. "The last thing we need is for people to know who we really are." The pair made their way to the inn portion upstairs, Zuko's room was simple; a bed, a wash basin and a table in the corner with two chairs.

"So why do you have a room?"

"Mai doesn't want me coming home late and smelling of alcohol, so I stay the night here and go home in the morning. Did you want more to drink?"

"Sure, if you can keep up with me," Katara said with a laugh as she took a seat.

"I think you got it backwards," Zuko laughed while he sent the barmaid to bring plenty of drinks for them. They traded banter and jokes, getting louder and rowdier with every mug. Someone had the idea to play a drinking game, Truth or Lies. One would tell a story and the other needed to say if it was true or not. If they were wrong they took a drink, if they were right the story teller took a drink.

As they traded stories old secrets surfaced, secrets that shouldn't have mattered after over a decade later. Inhibitions were lost in their drunken haze, tensions that had been buried deep years ago surfaced. Zuko had vague memories of what happened, shadows playing in the corner of his clouded mind.

It was the best night he'd had, he loved the way her tanned skin contrasted with his own. The way she breathlessly gasped his name.

It was a room he had been in many times, but one he never imagined sharing. Zuko sat up and drank some of the stale water. Though he couldn't remember half of the night before he knew enough that it had been a mistake. A wonderful, exhilarating and passionate like never before mistake.

"Zuko?"

"Hey," he answered softly, he didn't know she was awake. "Want some water?"

"What did we do? I mean and know what we did, but what happened?"

"I-I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know. Dammit Zuko what do we do?" she cried tossing her pillow at him as she tried to discreetly slide from the bed to dress. Zuko turned his back to her to give her what little privacy he could. "What's wrong with you? Don't you love your wife?" Katara accused.

"Don't you love your husband?" he snapped back, feeling sickly satisfied when she sat back down, her face guilty. Katara's rage had been adverted for now. "Of course I love Mai."

"And I love Aang. This was a stupid, drunken mistake."

"One that will never be repeated."

"I'm leaving. I'm going to go home and we're going to pretend this never happened," Katara announced. "If you're as hungover as I am forgetting should be easy."

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><p><strong>An idea I had at work,will be a series of oneshots, six chapters long.<br>**


	2. Aang Always Knew

**Again, wrote this on my phone so there may be typos.**

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><p><em>*10 years later*<em>

"Katara I give up, she's your daughter, you teach her to master waterbending," Aang said with a frustrated sigh. Kya looked down at the ground while her father went to train her brothers Bumi and Tenzin airbending.

"Aang, why are you so hard on her? Bumi isn't cut out to be a bender and you still train him the steps. You know she's trying her best," Katara whispered.

"You know as well as I do why I'm hard on her." Katara froze, a surprised look on her face.

"How long have you known?"

"We should talk about this later," he said with a tired look, but relented a little. "Since she was two," he admitted.

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><p>Katara was pregnant again, he was so excited. He loved being a father and couldn't wait to have another member of his family.<p>

As luck would have it Katara went into labour while they were visiting the southern water tribe and Gran Gran was there to deliver their second child.

Unfortunately being in the Water Tribe meant obeying their customs so Aang had to wait in another igloo with Sokka and Hakoda while Gran Gran and Suki tended to Katara.

It was late, or maybe at that point it was considered early, when Suki came to fetch the men.

"Expect great things from this one," Kanna said as Aang entered she room. "Not only born on a full moon, but at a time when the moon and sun share the sky. Your daughter is very special,"

Aang looked down at the small bundle in his arms; she didn't cry or squirm, just stared up at him with big blue eyes. She was a little paler than Bumi was and she had fine black hair.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Katara asked, looking exhausted, but happy. "I want to name her Kya, after my mother."

Aang nodded, but something felt wrong. He couldn't place what, all he knew is that something wasn't quite right about the little girl he held in his arms.

When Kya was two the husband and wife made a shocking discovery. Aang had been trying to coax her into airbending when she began to play in the snow. At first Aang thought nothing of it, until he noticed her pull more snow towards her - by bending.

That was when he realized what was wrong. She was a waterbender and airbenders only fathered airbenders.

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><p><strong>Aang tries to be a good father, but knowing that Kya isn't his makes it hard. He does forgive Katara though because he knows she didn't mean for anything to happen and Aang is an advocate for peace. Please Review.<strong>


	3. Katara Saw Similarities

***EDIT* As of March 27, 2012 new information has come to light because of Korra. I have gone and changed 'Krinla' to 'Bumi' and stated that Bumi is a non-bender but Aang still teaches him the airbending steps. For the sake of the story I'm saying that Bumi is capable of airbending, but very slightly he has no where near the level Aang and Tenzin display, maybe he's just not very spiritual. Eventually he just stopped doing it all together and let people believe he was a non-bender.  
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**Since I know for sure two people were wondering about it I included a rationalization behind my logic about Kya in the end notes.  
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><p>"I only figured it out when she was five," Katara said once the kids were asleep and they were alone.<p>

"What? You mean you didn't always know?"

"Aang, what happened with Kya was an accident. I never meant for anything to happen. I had drank too much and don't even remember half of what happened. Believe me, I love you so much."

"I believe you Katara," he said as he kissed her forehead. "The Air Nomads were the only one of the four nations for everyone to be a bender, an airbender will always have an airbender. Kya is a waterbender, that's how I knew."

"Aang I'm so sorry, I never meant for it to happen," her eyes stung, feeling a fresh wave of guilt.

"Can you just tell me one thing?"

"Anything," she assured.

"Who is Kya's real father?" Katara hesitated for the briefest of seconds.

"Zuko."

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><p>Katara couldn't deny that she was attracted to Zuko. He was a friend, someone she cared about and trusted. He was also attractive, something she had been well aware of since he taught Aang how to firebend.<p>

Yes, there had always been sexual tension with Zuko, but she loved Aang and nothing was going to change that.

The night she and Zuko slept together had been great, even in her drunken haze she remembered it being amazing.

But it was wrong, which was why she swore she'd forget about it and move on. When Aang came home from the temple they made love, and Katara thought everything would be okay.

For a while it was. When Kya was born she was happy, she had always wanted a daughter and a waterbender.

Her happiness faded a little when she noticed Aang treated Kya differently. She assumed it was because he had hoped for another airbender.

Then came that fateful day.

The group had all met up at the Jasmine Dragon as they did every year. Katara hugged her old friends and watched Kya get to know Toph's daughter while the grown ups caught up.

Katara sipped her tea, listening to Sokka tell the group a story about his eldest son when she glanced over at Kya. She had sat next to Zuko with one of her cousins sitting on her other side, everyone sat wherever there was space with no worries of grouping with their families.

At first Katara didn't give it a second thought; then she noticed Zuko and Kya had the same profile, and now that Kya's hair had slipped loose from its braid it had the same shaggy look Zuko's did.

"You okay Katara?" Toph whispered from her left. "Your heart just jumped a mile a minute."

"I'm fine, just realized something I forgot." A white lie with enough truth in it Toph wouldn't suspect anything.

It was a year later that Katara faced a question she didn't know how to answer, but it wasn't Aang who asked it.

"Mommy, why doesn't Daddy like me?"

"Your daddy loves you, sweetie."

"I know he loves me, I just don't think he_ likes_ me very much," the small girl mumbled. She tugged at her dark braid and asked another question. "Why don't I look more like him?" Katara pulled her daughter in a tight hug, hiding her own tears. How could such a small little girl see it? The more she watched her daughter the more she saw traces of Zuko. Little things, like the identical way they drank their tea or Kya's strange, forceful way of bending so like firebending. There were times when Kya would make a facial expression that seemed to scream Zuko and others when he was just below the surface.

"I love you very much Kya, always," Katara said looking into the mirror image of her own eyes. "And you look beautiful, who wants to be bald like your dad?" she joked, trying to put the six year old at ease. "Why don't you go play with your brothers?" Katara watched her run off to find Bumi and Tenzin with a heavy heart. What had she done?

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><p>She could see the pain in his face, but he didn't say anything. She knew he wouldn't. He had already forgiven her and she had sworn it had only happened once.<p>

"Does he know?"

"No. I never told anyone; no one knows."

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><p><strong>About the theory: On Avatar Wiki they say "Unlike the other Nations, the people of the Air Nomads were, without any seen exception, all benders due to the high level of spirituality of their people." I took that statement one step further in saying that an airbender will always, without question, have airbending children. I should have said "airbenders only <em>have<em> airbenders", because following my train of thought if Aang were a girl and Katara a boy they would still only have airbenders.**

**It's only airbenders that this applies top because we have seen in other nations where one member of the family is a bender and another is not. Katara is the only bender in her family, as is Toph and there were Earth Kingdom twins in Meng village; one was a bender and the other was not. In the Fire Nation Roku was (obviously) a firebender while I think we can assume that Ursa wasn't.**

**An interview with Mike and Bryan also contributed, "Bryan [...] described bending as more of a talent. You have some genetic basis for potential, but you could go your whole life without developing the talent into ability. Some people have more inherent talent than others, while others with minimal inherent talent can still develop it through hard work and practice. He reiterated a connection to the spiritual energies is the underlying basis. How it manifests is based on upbringing and experience[...]"**

**The main reason I chose for Kya to be a waterbender is it seems plausible to everyone, except Aang who knows the airbender rule, for Kya to be Aang and Katara's child. Had she been born a firebender everyone would know Katara had slept with, and been impregnated by, a firebender and the most likely suspect would have been Zuko. I don't believe that just because Aang is the Avatar it means his kids could bend any element, his learning the other elements, to me, was just that; something he _learned_ and was only able to do so because he's the Avatar.**

**The other reason is as Bryan said it's 50% talent 50% genetics. Kya had the genetics of fire and water, but we see in the show that Katara is (in my opinion) far more talented than Zuko at bending. Zuko spends years pushing and fighting to learn, he's determined and that's great, but he had the best of the Fire Nation teaching him. Katara on the other hand had very little time learning under an actual master, the majority of what she learned was self taught and her innate talent, coupled with her strong desire to learn, was what had her master the element in such little time.**

**Kya I imagine is very stubborn and determined like Zuko, but she has inherited Katara's great talent for waterbending.**

****Sorry for the run ons lol, but that's how I see it, though I'd like to hear what your theories are.**  
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	4. Toph Felt The Lie

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews. P.O.J.A don;t you change a thing about your reviews, I look forward to them the most.**

**The story is almost finished, only two more oneshots after this.**

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><p>"Hey Squirt, what's eatin' ya?" Toph asked, crouching next to her friends' daughter.<p>

"Nothing. Just wanted to think," Toph nodded, Kya was almost thirteen, it was natural she wanted alone time. She could feel the tension in the young waterbender though. "Toph? Why am I different?"

"Everyone's different."

"I'm more different. I don't fit in with my own family, the one place I should fit in no matter what."

"Take it from me, Squirt sometimes your family is the last place you feel comfortable. You'll find a place to fit in. For me it was with this bunch of jokers."

"Yeah, you're right Toph. It just feels weird, Mom is way too protective and mothering sometimes and Dad tries, but it's just not the same. The person I get along the best with is-" Kya stopped suddenly. "Never mind, forget it. Mom said I shouldn't be so close to them."

"Who?"

"Zuko... And Uncle. They've always treated me like another member of the family."

"That's just how the old man is, he did the same for me back in the day. And Zuko? Zuko's never had much in the way of real family so I think we're all his family," Toph explained. It wasn't totally a lie. She had noticed long ago that Kya and Zuko had a connection. She was pretty sure Zuko didn't know it, but she was surprised Kya saw it. _Kids are smarter than we give them credit for._

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><p>Toph liked being part of the action, but her 'sight' made her a great watcher. She 'saw' what others missed, what others hid. That meant she kept a lot of secrets.<p>

Team Avatar and their younguns often practiced and sparred together. Zuko, Mai and Sokka would happily teach all the little midgets non bending techniques too.

Toph first noticed the similarities early on, but brushed it off as admiration. It was obvious that Kya looked up to and adored the Fire Lord and he doted on her in return. He only had sons and enjoyed getting to play the 'Daddy's Little Girl' game.

It was when Toph was with Kya one on one in their sparring lessons. Kya moved with quick and powerful punches and kicks; if Toph hadn't known better she would've thought she was fighting one of Zuko's boys.

Toph listened later, completely guilty of eavesdropping, to Aang admonish Kya for her bending style. It became apparent to her that despite Aang and Katara's best efforts to teach Kya the proper way for a waterbender to move she would automatically slip into firm firebending stances because they felt natural.

As an experiment to satisfy her curiosity Toph suggested the kids attempt to manipulate their opposing style around their own element.

While Toph attempted to drill Krinla and Tenzin in earthbending style, having Aang flashbacks the entire time, she kept a foot out for how the others progressed. Her daughter couldn't seem to follow Aang's fast and light feet, Zuko and Mai's boy's were able to get some of the waterbending moves, but the power behind it was lacking. The non bending children were treated to learning Mai's knife throwing skills, which they seemed to be slowly picking up.

Only the Kya and Zuko team seemed to be really excelling. Kya followed Zuko's foot work with a natural born talent. Toph could feel their heartbeats and breathing synch up as the moved.

After that Kya only used fire based forms in her bending and often sought out Zuko to teach her more.

Now Toph, she was no woman of science, but she had her gut and her gut told her that though Kya was a waterbender she had the heart of a firebender.

Toph didn't mention her suspicions to anyone though, that's why she was the watcher. Besides, that girl needed a father in her life and if she couldn't get the emotional bond from Aang she had every right to get it from Zuko.

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><p>Toph felt Kya get up and go her own way, but the earthbender stayed to think. She wondered for the millionth time what happened between her two friends to create the passionate, stubborn, firey and unbearably sad girl she knew.<p>

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><p><strong>There you go, Toph's perspective on the situations. Any bets on who will be next?<strong>

**Also, if you haven't already, check out my other Avatar stories like _Tigerswan_ which is about Longshot and Smellerbee (I'm sticking as close to cannon as I possibly can with that one) and my AU fic _At the Jasmine Dragon_, that one is really in need of some readers and reviews.**

**Till next time ^_^  
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	5. Iroh Has Secrets of His Own

**Wow another chapter already? What can I say, the feedback I got for Toph's pov was great and I've had the idea for this chapter for quite a while.**

**Hyo-InAngel, only Mai and Sokka are unaware of the secret. To me Mai isn't suspicious of Zuko's closeness to Kya, after all they only have sons and I imagine all of Team Avatar's children were raised more like a litter of puppies than children of individual families. And Sokka... Well he's Sokka XD.**

**Erichthonius, I did actually consider having Kya fall for Wei, but thinking it over I felt it was too expected and I do have another upcoming story where I use something along those lines. I'm glad that, while disappointed in Aang, you don't find it unlike him to behave the way he has. Aang does love Kya, and he really does try to be a good father, but you're right; every day he sees her he's reminded of what two people he trusted did.**

**Pinkypinkypinky, for me this story has always been about Kya and how sometimes friends keep secrets to protect each other. So no, the only romantic interactions between Zuko and Katara was the one night when Kya was conceived. While in my mind there was some sexual tension between them, both before and after, they truly love their spouses and the only reason they acted upon those bottled up tensions was because of their inebriated state.**

**P.O.J.A, I'm so glad you liked Toph's explanation, I tried to make it as believable as I could, after all like Toph said, kids are smarter than we give them credit for.**

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><p>"Good Morning Grandfather," Kya sang as Iroh sat at his kitchen table.<p>

"Good morning child,"he replied, his face lighting up as she slid him his tea. "Jasmine, you sweet girl." They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the tea and each others company.

"Grandfather, have you heard from Mom?" Kya asked timidly.

"I have," the old firebender sighed. He had sent out a letter to her the evening Kya had shown up on his doorstep. "She writes that she wishes you had told them before you left, but that she respects your decision to travel."

Iroh smiled while Kya told him about all the places she wanted to see and things she planned to do. He enjoyed listening to her talk and he especially loved hearing her call him 'grandfather'; something she had done by mistake a few years prior and then had just continued to do when she saw it made him happy.

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><p>He recognized the signs, Kya was not what she seemed. She had been almost a year when he first had the opportunity to meet her and from the moment he held her he could tell; she was part of his family.<p>

It seemed however that Zuko was unaware, as Kya grew and was trained her waterbending Iroh noticed the special kinship she had with Zuko, much like his own relationship with the Fire Lord. Zuko doted on her, as he did with everyone's children, but there was a slightly different undercurrent to it.

Iroh himself never mentioned it, it wasn't his place to say. And besides, if he were to inform Zuko of her true parentage it would lead to questions about how he knew.

So he kept his peace, but he spent extra time with Kya teaching her all he could. He was especially pleased to learn she had a talent for tea, something her father never grasped.

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><p>"My dear after all the world experience you'll have, in addition to your heritage you should consider political work. An ambassador or advisor perhaps," Iroh suggested. Kya toyed with her tea cup, considering the idea.<p>

"You know Grandfather I think you're right, it's something I should think about. I'll have to ask Mom and Dad, and Zuko, what they think."

"I'm sure they'll find it well suited to you. You're descended from the Avatar after all. That reminds me, I have something for you, consider it a late birthday gift." The old man carefully stood and made his way to the ornate cabinet that held some of his treasures. He took out a small box and handed it to her. "Go ahead."

Kya opened it and smiled. "Oh Grandfather, it's beautiful." She gently took the hair ornament, a plume of fire to be worn in Fire Nation style. Kya quickly took out her braid and tied her hair in the knot before adding the ornament. "How does it look?"

"Beautiful, child," Iroh said as he sat comfortably in his chair once more. "Have I ever told you you're the spitting image of your grandmother?" Kya shook her head.

"You knew her?"

"Yes, very well. Believe me, any who knew her can see the similarities in you. Now, go get dressed, no more pajamas. I have much in the art of tea to teach you today." As Iroh watched the young woman leave the room he smiled; he loved spending time with Kya, he just wished Ursa had been able to meet their only granddaughter.

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><p><strong>For those that guessed Zuko's pov would be next, sorry his pov was the first chapter and everyone only gets one chapter each. <strong>

**Now let's see who can spot what I hinted at in this chapter...  
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	6. A True Father

******Here it is everyone, the final chapter. This one was probably the one I tweaked the most. I don't really list her age, just reference it, but in my head she was between 16 and 18 in the last chapter and in this chapter she was in her late twenties. I changed my mind however when I felt it left it off too soon, so in my head Kya is in her mid to late thirties putting Zuko in his sixties or seventies.******

**Anyway, enough of that, go on and read the last installment.  
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><p>Kya yawned as she made her way to the palace, the meeting with the Earth Kingdom's Chief of Agriculture had gone far later then she thought it would and she wanted to see her family.<p>

When she was twenty she had married a young advisor Zuko had been fond of and they now had a son on whom Zuko doted.

Despite the set backs she faced for being a foreigner, young and a woman she loved it in the Fire Nation. It had always felt like home far more than the Air Temples, the Water Tribe or even United Republic.

For as long as she could remember she loved the heat of the Fire Nation, loved the shades of red and the spicy foods. What she loved most about it was the feeling that she belonged.

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><p>Her fondest memories were of Zuko patiently teaching her how to bend her element in the firebending style. No one got mad at her for doing the steps too fast or too forceful, for the first time she was praised for it.<p>

Zuko rarely gave compliments, but she could always tell he was proud of her. He'd clap a hand on her shoulder and nod, as warm and comforting as the fire he controlled.

He was the one she listened to, trusted. He taught her everything she knew and she always felt safe with him.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," he had told her once while they watched the sunrise after a lesson. "But I must've done something right to deserve having you in my life." He wrapped his arm around her small frame and he kissed the top of her head when she let it rest on his shoulder. "You're the daughter I never had," he mumbled into her hair.

Kya had felt like she was glowing when he said those words. She had known then that he would always be there for her and he'd never let her down.

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><p>Kya was making her way to her family's suite when she noticed the flickering candle light coming from the study.<p>

"You're home late, I had food prepared, but it's probably cold now," Zuko said, his old eyes looking up from his paper work. It killed her to see the strongest man she'd ever known slowly wasting away to nothing.

"Sorry I worried you," Kya said. "Come on, you should rest. I can finish this up for you."

"I'm still Fire Lord, don't you think you can order me around missy."

"You may be Fire Lord, but I'm Head Minister and this is my responsibility now." She stood by his desk, but knew better than to help him up. "Someone wise once told me that a man needs his rest."

"Just like your mother; always needing to take care of people and order them around," Zuko laughed, slowly getting up. He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "You should eat something. Keep your strength up."

"I'll eat later with Shang. Now go; like you said, it's late." She patted his fragile hand and smiled.

"You're a stubborn thing," Zuko told her, taking his cane and making his way to the hall. Kya watched him from the desk and smiled softly.

"Yeah," she whispered, her voice and heart breaking. "Just like my dad."

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><p><strong>So there you have it. I deliberately left it opened ended on two notes. The first, does Kya know that Zuko is her father? The second does Zuko himself know?<strong>

**In my head I say that Kya does know. She's a smart girl so she'd have figured it out at some point. Zuko I haven't decided, he might know or he might just love her completely unconditionally without needed to know their blood bond. I know for myself the best family I have are the ones I'm not related to by blood.**

**Leave one last review, or even your first one, and let me know what you think. **

**If you're a fan of minor characters check out my Longshot and Smellerbee fic _Tigerswan_ and if you like The Powerpuff Girls read my new story _Illusion of Normality_.  
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